Testimonials

Jenni Schaefer, best-selling author, Life Without Ed(served as copy editor for Jenni's newest book proposal FACING THE INVISIBLE MONSTER: HOW I HEALED FROM TRAUMA AND HOW YOU CAN, TOO, accepted by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, submitted by Linda Loewenthal at The Loewenthal Company) "Andrea Barilla has the X-factor that every project needs. In addition to being a stellar copy editor with an eagle eye, she is also passionate, intuitive, and invested. I highly recommend hiring Andrea!"

Elijah Wolfson, senior editor at TIME and former editorial director at Healthline.com"Working as part of a large group of editors responsible for honing copy on the Healthline Reference Library (a massive medical dictionary and encyclopedia), Andrea stood out from the group. She provided consistently excellent work, improving every piece that flowed through her desk."Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity

Andy Cohen, New York Times notable author of Follow the Other Hand: A Remarkable Fable That Will Energize Your Business, Profits, and Life (served as editor for his second book: Challenge Your Assumptions, Change Your World) "Andrea’s support as an editor has me looking forward to writing my next book. Knowing that there is someone who will look at your work with a keen eye, attention to detail, and all in a timely manner is a true comfort. Her skill at editing is matched by the pleasant, professional manner in which she conducts business.”

Mona Amodeo, PhD, founder and president of idgroup Branding (worked together on her book proposal and developmental edits for her book Beyond Sizzle: The Next Evolution of Branding)"For the past 2 years I've been working on the realization of my dream of publishing a book. Over the years, I hired a couple of editors who offered promises of getting me through the process—no luck. And then, I found Andrea Barilla via the recommendation of a mutual colleague. She worked hand in hand with me over several months in the shaping of the book proposal. This week I signed a book contract with Maven House Press. I know I would not have achieved my dream without Andrea. Her skill as an editor is only rivaled by the supportive, yet firm approach she took in helping me to shape the proposal. My book The Next Evolution of Branding will be on the shelves in September 2018. Thank you, Andrea!"

Brent Livingood, writer and photographer (created a full book proposal for his faith-based memoir)“I worked with Andrea Barilla on a project for months. Andrea approaches her work with the sort of empathy and flexibility that writers crave and need. She worked with me to find just the right nuance and balance that highlighted my work in the best possible light, while at the same time helping me to improve my craft. I am absolutely delighted with her work and will certainly call on her services again!” Gabriel Tew, writer and pastor (provided critique of his nonfiction book)“Andrea Barilla far exceeded my expectations in her edit of my book! I had high hopes for my book before submitting it to her, but she has made it possible to produce something better than I imagined. She’s given me some work to do, but I look forward to writing another draft with the insights she has provided. She has provided both correction and encouragement (a rare combination) through her critique and has expanded my vision for how my book might help people. I heartily recommend her to Christian nonfiction writers like myself!”

Jess Orr, writer (provided critique of her memoir)"Andrea provided content editing services for my memoir manuscript, and I am incredibly grateful to her for the outstanding work that she did. She truly went above and beyond to provide not only content editing, but wisdom and insight that were of great benefit. Andrea combines her technical skill with a passionate commitment to providing the highest-quality work. She is truly gifted at the craft of editing, and it was an absolute honor and pleasure to work with her. I highly recommend Andrea for anyone looking for a committed, compassionate, insightful, and thorough editor."

Corvin J. Connolly, Ph.D., editor, The Cyber Defense Review, Army Cyber Institute at West Point"Andrea is a brilliant writer and editor with a career that reflects the highest levels of production, quality, interpersonal and team building skills. I had the privilege of working with Andrea on the Andy Cohen article for The Cyber Defense Review. She was awesome to collaborate with and transformed the article with her editing skill. Any team will benefit from Andrea’s exceptional technical writing and content editing."

James Lawrence, author and expert in cybersecurity"Andrea's editing services are professional, timely, and affordable. I highly recommend her services for authors writing for publication in military and cybersecurity venues."

Stephen Cataldo, author of Cognitive Politics (provided developmental edits)"Andrea helped me bring Cognitive Politics across the finish line. She brought new eyes to the overall scope of the book, helping me navigate a controversial subject gently. She also has an amazing attention to detail—with her help it reads as a professional work."

Sergio Y. Cigliuti, international client (provided content critique of his fiction manuscript, a family saga) "I wish to thank you for the critique letter you have made for me, as well as for the precious notes you have attached to my manuscript. Moreover, I want you to know that your schematization of characters and locations, your observations and the ideas that you have brought forward have been very helpful to me. I am grateful to you. I would recommend your services to anyone who might be needing really good editing work, done by an experienced professional whose dedication is inspiring. I look forward to keep working with you!"

Lesa Rogers Broadhead, MFA, independent dance artist (provided developmental edit of her memoir)"From the first moment I met with Andrea Barilla, I experienced a positive, open, and honest professional who listened intently when I spoke of the book I wanted to write. I knew immediately that she believed in my aspirations, and would guide me with her expertise in editing and writing services. Ms. Barilla met all of her obligations and responsibilities with promptness and much professionalism. I get excited each day that I sit down to read the revisions which she has suggested, sparking more creativity from my end. She also has a distinctive way in giving confidence to the writer, especially to a writer in a first-time adventure."

JoAnne Macco, author of Trust the Timingand blogger at https://joannaoftheforest.wordpress.com(provided copy edit and proof of her memoir)"It is not often that you find someone with excellent technical skills who delivers those skills with genuine compassion. Andrea is such a person. Her blend of professionalism and encouragement let me know I was in good hands. She provided meticulous copyediting for my memoir and suggested improvements in a thoughtful, supportive manner. I was particularly impressed by her fact-checking and accuracy. She was a pleasure to work with."

Beverly Grasley, author of Varina (provided content critique)​"Andrea Barilla was immensely helpful to me as I struggled to better define the main female character in a historical novel I am writing. Andrea thoroughly reviewed and commented on the first 50 pages, pointing out weak and strong word choices and passages.

In her ten-page review, she also quoted from works that explained how to develop characters through their actions and thoughts. I began looking for ways to illustrate the woman’s intelligence, independence, and wit. The information Andrea passed along added to my knowledge of characterization, and I hope the improvements I have made will enable me to engage an agent to sell the novel.

Her input was very helpful and worth her fee."

Norma Tamayo, author of A Girl Named Nina – Best Young Adult Fiction Book [in] English at the 2014 International Latino Book Awards(provided content critique)“Andrea Barilla has an eye for editing, and her expertise in content development will make a great impact in your writing.”

Vera Newkirk (provided content critique of her manuscript) "Thank you so much for the thorough review and feedback you provided for my draft manuscript. You have an amazing gift, and I am personally grateful that you've answered God's calling for your life. Thank you for your obedience. I pray God's blessings and prosperity for you as you continue to pursue His purpose."

Terry Dismore, author ofCalling All P.A.R.E.N.T.S. (provided PDF edits and worked with self-publishing company at late stage of the process) "Thank you for your dedication to editorial details and allowing me to be an author. Your superlative work has allowed my book Calling All P.A.R.E.N.T.S. to launch. Thank you, Andrea, for your best work."

Victoria Terrinoni, author, freelance writer, and blogger at www.chappytwife.com (provided manuscript critique)"I hired Andrea to critique my manuscript that follows my 30 years as an Air Force spouse. She is very professional. Her insights and suggestions were exactly what I wanted to hear. She told me what she liked about the book, what didn't work, and gave great suggestions on how to fix it. I will definitely use her again."

Lynn Schneider, instructional designer/writer at Savannah College of Art and Design"Andrea Barilla is a consummate professional. I always know I can count on her for timely, polished work, no matter what the specifications of the project require. Moreover, she is a pleasure to work with, and I look forward to our interactions together. I am very happy to have Andrea on my team."

Shakis Drummond, owner of Ready, Set, Done! LLC (consulting agency) "I've had the pleasure of working with Andrea at my full-time job, so when I needed some of my own items copy edited, I didn't have to look too far. I knew she was perfect for the job because she catches every mistake and provides great feedback. I look forward to working with her again in the very near future."

Lori Ryan, senior production editor/project manager, Paradigm Education Solutions, EMC Paradigm Publishing, LLC"I appreciated Andrea’s eye for detail, prompt return of edited documents, and flexibility with a less-than-ideal schedule. She is easy to work with and definitely helped make our book better!"

Sarah Quigley, production text coordinator at Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. "Andrea is currently one of my freelance editors at Dorrance Publishing. Her work is exceptional, she always meets deadlines, and she possesses a thorough grasp of the English language. Andrea is a pleasure to work with, and I would definitely recommend her for any editing position."

Melissa Capps, business owner at Simple Spaces (provided book coaching)"I contacted Andrea because I had several book ideas going many different directions with no idea which way to go first. I also didn’t have a clue as to how the process worked beyond simply writing. We sat down with coffee and my notebook full of chaotic ideas. Andrea was extremely encouraging and I could sense her sincerity as she communicated her belief in me and my ideas. In just a short time, she was able to help me navigate through the chaos and pinpoint the exact topic to begin with. Then, she gave me the tools to start. I walked away feeling relief—like the dots had finally connected! I highly recommend Andrea Barilla for book coaching!"

Elizabeth Bailey, picture book author (provided content critique and researched agent/pub house list)"I would like to thank you for all your services. You have gone above and beyond, and I truly appreciate everything. I look forward to continuing work with you now and in the future."

William A. Wright and Dale Ann Edmiston, novel authors (provided editing and publishing-related services) "Andrea invested her time, talent, and soul into helping us get our novel, Havasupai, into tip-top shape while also providing publishing consultation, researching literary agents best suited to our work, and guiding us through the submission process. We worked back and forth with late content editing, and she provided a thorough copy edit when both parties felt the content was complete; this copy edit included a fact-check of Native American terms, a style sheet to make sure the styling of terms was consistent, and a basic formatting preparation should we decide to eventually self-publish. Andrea created a researched list of agents, helped to prepare proposal elements (novel synopsis, author bio, etc.), guided us through the agent submission process, and even utilized her personal contacts to gain us access to top agents in the industry. She saved us invaluable time and effort and kept us informed each step of the process."

Kim Perry Faulkner, picture book author of In the Fishbowl(provided content critique and market analysis) "Thank you so much for your editing services. I have been so impressed with you and the way you do business. I was astounded by the amount of time spent and work you did on my project. I look forward to working with you again in the future."

William Quigley, Web developer at Westminster College"Andrea is a top-notch writer and editor as well as a pleasure to work with! In her work composing and curating content for Westminster College's Adult & Graduate Studies website, she demonstrated tremendous attention to detail and expert-level grammatical prowess. I would hire or recommend Andrea for any content writing or copy editing task without hesitation."

Rebecca Lee, author of Bobcat and Other Stories “Andrea Barilla is a terrific writer, with a smart, independent mind, but also an ability to really connect to the reader. She works quickly and diligently. The work of hers that I've read affected me deeply and enduringly...I would recommend her as highly as possible.”

Mary Shaffer, writing instructor at Westminster College, writing and editing professional“With the permission of her client, Andrea brought me into her ghostwriting project as a copyeditor. She had spent months building a professional rapport with her client, conducting over 50 interviews in person or by email, gathering her client’s legal records and papers, scrapbooks, photographs and personal letters in order to prepare the best possible memoir proposal. Andrea put herself into this project and lived it night and day!

For eight months, she digested conversations and numerous journals written by her client, transcribed interviews, composed three full chapters and completed summaries for 40 chapters, researched all possible book comparisons in the market, wrote, edited and sent out a 100-page proposal of distinctive style, grace, and heart.

Andrea shared the experience with me, not simply to acquire a copyeditor, but to mentor a fellow writer with regard to this process. I am eternally grateful to her for teaching me the business end of writing a memoir proposal. Her diligence and leave-no-stone-unturned approach to ghostwriting is unparalleled in my book!”

Philip Gerard, author of Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life"In more than 30 years of mentoring talented writers, I've rarely come across one with that rare combination of reportorial, literary, and editorial skills that Andrea has. She is a crackerjack interviewer to whom subjects always reveal themselves in their most interesting light, an investigator who follows the facts and teases them from their camouflage, then pulls everything together in beautiful, clear prose. She manages to be both compassionate and fully professional, getting the most out of her words on the page."

Alane Jewel, editor of Views & Voices magazine“Andrea was a very reliable correspondent for our magazine. I was always very pleased with her writing contributions and professionalism, and I am confident her skills will open many more doors for her professionally.”Top Qualities: Great Results, Good Value, High Integrity

Georgianna Laws, EdM, instructional designer at Savannah College of Art and Design"Thank you so much for your kindness, your generosity with time, and your keen eye to inconsistencies."

Merle Jantz, managing editor of Mt. Lebanon magazine“Andrea Barilla worked for me as a writing intern in the summer of 2001. She approached all of her assignments with an unflagging enthusiasm, and the instinctive curiosity that is so essential to the work. She consistently exhibited a strong work ethic.

Since then, I have had the privilege of watching her mature into a gifted and perceptive professional writer. Along with her considerable talent, she also brings to the table an innate respect for her subject, and a reverence for the craft of writing. If I could choose someone to write the story of my life, it would be Andrea.”

Joel Mekler, human services professional, résumé client"I just had to drop you a note to tell you how much I appreciate your help on my job search. The magic you perform using the proper words and meaningful statements is simply wonderful. I cannot thank you enough for the high-quality résumé you provided to me. Your professionalism, attention to detail, and the speed in which you turned my meager information into a marketable asset is amazing. My hat's off to you and thanks again for a job well done. When the time comes, I will be sure to contact you regarding updates to my résumé."